Simeone has a replacement in mind for Costa

Simeone spoke before the game against Granada. He was asked if Joao Felix would replace Diego Costa and his answer was blunt. "He is not the main striker. We also have Dario Poveda, who has come in from Atletico B after having a few good games. Saponjic is also available, We have already spoken with him about what we need from him in the team. We have Riquelme, who also gives the possibility of being another forward," he analysed.

Diego Costa suffered a neck injury. "I am in contact with him. It's calm, it went well, thank God. I hope he comes back in the best way, with all the time he needs to get better. First as a person, then as a player," he said.

And, already looking to the long term, he made it clear that he has people in the squad to take over Costa's role. "I think about it realistically. We have Morata, Dario, Saponjic... Costa is injured. We trust that Dario Poveda will use this stretch to grow. He is young, 20-years-old, tall and has good aerial play," he highlighted.

Although, he did not close the door fully on possible signings: "You always have to be open to everything. Perhaps someone wants to leave or another wants to come..."

He took advantage of this to ask for the less frequently used players to take a step forward. "There's Saul and Thomas outside. We'll give way to Llorente and Herrera to hold the team. Marcos isn't getting a chance to play because I think others are doing well in midfield. He worked well in these 15 days, he will play a match as a result of that work," he continued.

Simeone doesn't care about the amount of casualties: he promises to face Granada. "We work as a result of the match. We're not looking for excuses, we represent Atletico and we want to be a team. We're going to try to take the game where we feel comfortable, I'm not moved by anything else at the moment," he concluded.